New York|‘It’s a Disgrace’: New York G.O.P. Fund-Raiser Quits Over Tax Bill

Supported by

‘It’s a Disgrace’: New York G.O.P. Fund-Raiser Quits Over Tax Bill

By Shane Goldmacher

Nov. 14, 2017

Steve Louro, a Republican donor who hosted an event for Donald J. Trump at his Long Island home last year, abruptly quit his post as regional finance chairman for the state’s Republican Party on Tuesday over objections to the Republican-led tax bill advancing through Congress.

“The bill that’s going to get passed is not going to take care of the American people. It’s a disgrace,” Mr. Louro said in a phone interview. He had resigned from his post as a fund-raiser via email earlier in the day, he said.

“The Republican Party took control of the government against all odds, and the bottom line is” they messed up, he said, using an expletive. “It’s a disgrace. It’s going to hurt a lot of middle-class Republicans.”

The tax legislation has proved particularly contentious in New York, since both the Senate and House versions of the bill would scrap state and local tax deductions. As a result, seven of nine New York Republicans in the House voted against the bill.

The House bill also curtailed the deduction that homeowners can take for their mortgage interest payments, allowing deductions only up to $500,000 in loans. That would affect homeowners where prices are highest, such as in and around New York City, and on Long Island, where Mr. Louro has served as the regional finance chairman.

Mr. Louro has been an outspoken supporter of Representative Lee Zeldin, whom he called “the best congressman” and who has opposed the elimination of state and local tax deductions.